Force transmission plate assembly for actuation of a bail assembly on a fishing reel

ABSTRACT

A fishing reel having a frame with a front and rear, a rotor having a body with an annular wall bounding an internal space and a first wall within the internal space and having axially oppositely facing surfaces, with the rotor being mounted to the frame for rotation about a first axis, a line storage spool, a bail assembly mounted to the rotor for pivoting movement between a first retrieve position and a second cast position, a bail actuator, and a structure responsive to operation of the bail actuator for exerting a force on the bail assembly to pivot the bail assembly from its retrieve position into its cast position. The force exerting structure has a plate assembly with an annular actuation plate having an axis substantially aligned with the rotor axis and first and second posts connected to and projecting axially from the annular plate. The first wall has first and second bores to receive the first and second posts to guide translatory movement of the annular plate from a retracted position axially forwardly to an extended position. The force exerting structure includes cooperating structure on the bail assembly and plate assembly for moving the bail assembly from its retrieve position into its cast position as the actuation plate moves from its retracted position into its extended position. There is cooperating structure on the bail actuator and plate assembly for moving the actuator plate into its extended position as the bail actuator is operated. The plate assembly resides at least partially within the internal rotor space with the annular plate in its extended position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to fishing reels having a pivotable bail assemblyoperated by a remote trigger and, more particularly, to a plate assemblyfor transmitting an operating force from the trigger in a substantiallystraight line to the bail assembly.

2. Background Art

Spinning-type fishing reels are well known in the prior art. Typically,a spinning reel has a frame defining a mounting foot for attachment to arod. A rotor is mounted to the frame for rotation about a fore and aftaxis. A line-carrying spool is coaxial with the rotor axis andoscillated in a fore and aft direction by operation of a crank handle,which crank handle operation simultaneously rotates the rotor to therebyevenly wrap line on the line-carrying spool.

To effect a cast with a basic spinning reel, the user picks up the lineprojecting away from the reel, with a finger on the same hand that holdsthe rod, and snubs the line against the rod. With the other hand, theuser manually pivots the bail assembly from a retrieve position to acast position. The rod is then cocked and thrust in the direction of thecast. As the rod is thrust, the user moves the line snubbing finger torelease the line. Once the cast is completed, the user operates thecrank handle to rotate the rotor. A trip mechanism on the moving rotoris automatically actuated by a cam element on the reel frame to forcethe bail assembly from the cast position back into the retrieve positionas the rotor is rotated.

Some fishermen do not like to have to manually grasp and reorient thebail assembly, as is required with the above structure. To accommodatethese fishermen, trigger operated bail assemblies have been developed.Exemplary prior art trigger mechanisms are shown in each of U.S. Pat.No. 2,658,697, to Steinbaugh, U.S. Pat. No. 3,095,158, to Louison, U.S.Pat. No. 3,796,391, to McMickle, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,927, toLouison.

In each of these mechanisms, a plate assembly is utilized to convertpivoting forces from an actuator into a straight line forward force.

There are several problems associated with such plate assemblies. Ifthey are made utilizing a single plate, it is difficult to smoothlyguide the plate in a fore and aft direction. Any skewing of the platemay cause the reel mechanism to bind. Rough operation of the reel,excessive wear and/or reel malfunction may result.

If intricate guide structure is provided for the plate, manufacture iscomplicated and the reel often takes on a larger size to accommodate theadditional structure. For example, in Louison (U.S. Pat. No. 3,095,158),it can be seen that a substantial portion of the reel in a fore and aftdirection, behind the rotor, is dedicated to the plate assembly.

In the highly competitive fishing reel industry, reduction of reel sizeand minimization of manufacturing costs are two very importantobjectives in reel design.

Most important to any designer, however, is reel function. Designersdeal with the competing objectives of providing smooth operation of thereel and achieving true straight line movement of the plate assembly.Positive guiding may result in the development of large friction forces.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is specifically directed to overcoming the aboveenumerated problems and improving the presently known bail operatingmechanisms.

According to the invention, a fishing reel is provided having a framewith a front and rear, a rotor having a body with an annular wallbounding an internal space and a first wall within the internal spaceand having axially oppositely facing surfaces, with the rotor beingmounted to the frame for rotation about a first axis, a line storagespool, a bail assembly mounted to the rotor for pivoting movementbetween a first retrieve position and a second cast position, a bailactuator, and a structure responsive to operation of the bail actuatorfor exerting a force on the bail assembly to pivot the bail assemblyfrom its retrieve position into its cast position. The force exertingstructure has a plate assembly with an annular actuation plate having anaxis substantially aligned with the rotor axis and first and secondposts connected to and projecting axially from the annular plate. Thefirst wall has first and second bores to receive the first and secondposts to guide translatory movement of the annular plate from aretracted position axially forwardly to an extended position. The forceexerting structure includes cooperating structure on the bail assemblyand plate assembly for moving the bail assembly from its retrieveposition into its cast position as the actuation plate moves from itsretracted position into its extended position. There is cooperatingstructure on the bail actuator and plate assembly for moving theactuator plate into its extended position as the bail actuator isoperated. According to the invention, the plate assembly resides atleast partially within the internal rotor space with the annular platein its extended position.

The above arrangement permits a compact construction for the rotor andthe mechanism for operating the bail assembly through the trigger.

In one form, the plate assembly resides fully within the internal rotorspace with the annular plate in its extended state.

In one form, there is an annular reinforcement plate and the first andsecond posts fixedly interconnect the actuation and reinforcement platesin an assembled state in which the first wall is captive between theactuation and reinforcement plates.

Accordingly, the plate assembly is rigidified and positively guided in asubstantially linear path in operation.

Preferably, the actuation and reinforcement plates are substantiallyaxially aligned with the plate assembly in the assembled state.

In a preferred form, there are at least four posts interconnecting theactuation and reinforcement plates.

In a preferred form, the first and second posts are elongate andsubstantially straight. At least one of the posts has a non-circularcross section taken perpendicularly to its length. The bore in the firstwall that receives the one post may have a matched cross section or maybe mismatched. A non-circular post and a circular bore would provide foredge contact which would afford the guiding function but minimizefrictional development.

Other cross-sectional configurations contemplated for the post arediamond-shaped, multi-lobed, rectangular, etc.

The posts may be hollow or solid.

The posts can be formed by molding, casting, extruding, and the like.

In one form, the actuation plate and posts are made from a singlestamped piece of flat metal with the posts being bent relative to theactuation plate after stamping of the single stamped metal piece.

With the posts and actuation plate being separate pieces, the actuationplate and posts can be interconnected by at least one of bolts, rivets,welding, and press fitting.

In another form of the invention, a plate assembly is provided fortransmitting a force exerted by an actuator to a pivotable bail assemblyon the rotor of a fishing reel. The plate assembly has an annularactuation plate having an axis and,first and second posts projectingaxially from the actuation plate for guiding translatory movement of theactuation plate on a fishing reel. The posts and actuation plate areformed as a single piece.

An annular reinforcement plate can be attached to the unitary plateassembly consisting of the annular plate and posts.

The invention further contemplates a plate assembly for transmitting aforce exerted by an actuator to a pivotable bail assembly on a rotor ofa fishing reel, which plate assembly has an actuation plate with aplanar surface, and first and second elongate posts projecting from theactuation plate substantially perpendicularly from the planar surfacefor guiding translatory movement of the actuation plate on a fishingreel, with at least one of the first and second posts having anon-circular cross section taken at right angles to the length of the atleast one of the first and second posts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a spinning-type fishing reelincorporating a bail assembly operating mechanism according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, side elevation view of a rotor on the reel inFIG. 1 with the bail assembly thereon in a cast position;

FIG. 3 is a view as in FIG. 2 with a force transmission arm partiallybroke away and pivoted to expose the cooperating structure on the forcetransmission arm and the bail assembly;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, rear elevation view of the rotor;

FIG. 5 is an isolated perspective view of the bail operating mechanism,according to the present invention, in a cast mode;

FIG. 6 is a view as in FIG. 5 with the bail assembly in a retrieve mode;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, side elevation view of one bail arm on the bailassembly in relationship to one of two force transmission arms used toeffect rotation of the bail assembly and further showing a tripmechanism, according to the present invention, for preventing jamming ofthe bail assembly as it moves from a retrieve position to a castposition;

FIG. 8 is a view as in FIG. 7 with the force transmission arm removed;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the rotor showing a translatable plateassembly for transmitting an operating force from the trigger to theforce transmission arms;

FIG. 10 is a side elevation view of an internal part of one of the forcetransmission arms;

FIG. 11 is an isolated, side elevation view of the trigger inrelationship to the plate assembly and with the trigger in a restposition;

FIG. 12 is a view as in FIG. 11 with the trigger in an operatingposition;

FIG. 13 is a front elevation view of the trigger and plate assembly;

FIG. 14 is a plan view of a blank from which a unitary plate assemblycan be formed;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged, fragmentary, exploded perspective view ofcooperating actuation and reinforcement plates and guide postsconnecting therebetween according to the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an alternative form of guide post onthe plate assembly;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a still further modified form of guidepost according to the present invention;

FIG. 18 is an enlarged plan view of a further modified form of guidepost according to the present invention; and

FIG. 19 is a plan view of a still further modified form of guide postaccording to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In FIGS. 1-13, a spinning-type fishing reel is shown at 10 havingincorporated therein a preferred form of bail operating mechanismaccording to the present invention. Before the details of the inventionare described, the overall reel operation will be briefly described toset the environment for the present invention.

The spinning reel 10 has a frame 12 with a housing 14 that contains theinternal operating mechanism for the reel 10. A detailed description ofthe reel operating mechanism is unnecessary to understand the presentinvention. A detailed description of the operating mechanism is given inU.S. Pat. Nos. 4,676,450and U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,188, which areincorporated herein by reference.

The frame housing 14 extends upwardly to define a mounting stem 16,which terminates in a mounting foot 18 that can be attached to a fishingrod (not shown) in conventional fashion.

The frame 12 carries a rotor 20 at its forward end. The rotor 20 ismounted to the frame 12 for rotation about a fore and aft axis 22.Rotation is imparted to the rotor 20 by a crank handle 24. Rotation ofthe crank handle 24 about a laterally extending axis 26, in thedirection of arrow 28, through an internal operating mechanism 30 inFIG. 1, effects rotation of the rotor 20 about the axis 22 in thedirection of the arrow 32, i.e. in a clockwise direction as viewed fromthe front of the reel 10.

The rotor 20 is configured to direct line onto a line carrying spool 34in a wrapping motion. An internal oscillating mechanism 36, alsooperated by the crank handle 24, and having a conventional constructionmoves the spool 34 in a reciprocating fore and aft path, as indicated bythe double-headed arrow 38, so that line 40 is distributed evenly alongthe length of the line carrying spool 34.

Line 40 is wrapped around the spool 34 by a bail assembly at 42. Thebail assembly 42 is attached to the rotor 20 and, more particularly, tomounting ears 44, 46 at diametrically opposite locations on the rotor20. The mounting ears 44, 46 have laterally outwardly extending mountingposts 48, 50 which project into through bores 52, 54 on bail arms 56,58, respectively, to thereby support the bail arms 56, 58 for pivotingmovement about a common axis 60. A U-shaped bail wire 62 has its endsconnected to the bail arms 56, 58 so that the bail arms 56, 58 and bailwire 62 rotate as a unit between the retrieve position, shown in solidlines in FIG. 1, and the cast position, shown in phantom lines in thatsame figure. An overcenter bias structure, shown schematically at 63 inFIGS. 1 and 3, drives the bail assembly into each of the cast andretrieve positions as the bail assembly approaches each. Suitableovercenter bias structures are well known to those skilled in the art.One such structure is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,188.

The bail arm 56 has a line receptacle 64 defined cooperatively by a wall66 on the bail arm 56 and a line roller 68. The receptacle 64 isgenerally U-shaped and opens in the direction of advancement of therotor 20 during line retrieval.

The line 40 normally projects from the spool 34 through an opening 70defined at the juncture of the wall 66 and line roller 68. The lineroller 68 guides line 40 that is paying out as the spool 34 rotates withthe rotor 20 stationary, as when a fish overcomes the normal drag forceexerted on the spool 34. As the rotor 20 is rotated in the direction ofarrow 32, to retrieve the line 40, the line 40 slides down the lineroller 68 and into the receptacle 64, whereupon the wall 64 and/or lineroller 68 draw the line 40 around the oscillating spool 34.

By pivoting the bail assembly 42 in the direction of arrow 72 in FIGS. 1and 2, the bail assembly 42 is placed in the cast position. In the castposition, the line 40 is allowed to freely pay off of the spool 34. Oncethe desired amount of line 40 is paid out, the crank handle 24 isoperated to automatically reposition the bail assembly 42 in theretrieve position through a mechanism according to the invention, thatwill be described in detail below.

More particularly, the present invention is directed to a mechanism forplacing the bail assembly 42 into the cast position from the retrieveposition therefor and for causing the bail assembly 42 to automaticallymove back into the retrieve position upon the completion of the cast.

The present invention employs a bail assembly actuator in the form of atrigger 74. The trigger 74 has an overall "L" shape with an elongateforwardly projecting finger engaging portion 76 and a transverse bailactuating portion 78. The bail actuating portion 78 terminates in aU-shaped yoke 80 with spaced legs 82, 84. The trigger 74 is mounted tothe frame 12 by a pin 86 for pivoting movement about a laterallyextending axis between a rest position, shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, and anoperating position, shown in FIG. 5. The trigger 74 is spring loadedtowards its rest position.

Drawing up on the finger actuating portion 76 of the trigger 74, andmoving the trigger 74 from its rest position to its operating position,advances the legs 82, 84 forwardly into engagement with an annular,actuation plate 88. The actuation plate 88 operates within an internalspace 90 defined by an annular wall 92 on the body 94 of the rotor 20. Amounting wall 96 serves as a support for the actuation plate 88 andguides movement of the actuating plate in a fore and aft direction. Theactuation plate 88 is connected to four guide posts 98, 100, 102, 104,which are spaced equidistantly around the circumference of the actuationplate 88. The preferred means for interconnecting the guide posts 98,100, 102, 104 and actuation plate 88 is described below. The guide posts98, 100, 102, 104 are of equal length, elongate and projectsubstantially parallel to each other in a fore and aft direction, i.e.parallel to the center axis of the actuation plate 88.

To stabilize the posts 98, 100, 102, 104, an annular reinforcement plate106, having a configuration similar to the plate 88, is mounted to thefree ends of the posts 98, 100, 102, 104. The plates 88, 106 and posts98, 100, 102, 104 together define a unitary plate assembly.

Prior to assembly of the reinforcement plate 106, the posts 98, 100,102, 104 are directed through bores 108, 110, 112, 114, consecutively,from the rearwardly facing side 116 of the wall 96, until the posts 98,100, 102, 104 project beyond the front, forwardly facing surface 118 ofthe wall 96. Once the reinforcement plate 106 is attached to the posts98, 100, 102, 104, as by screws 120, the wall 96 is held captive betweenthe actuating and reinforcement plates 88, 106.

In one form, the posts 98, 100, 102, 104 have a circular cross sectiontaken transversely to their length. The bores 108, 110, 112, 114 have acorresponding cross section to accept and guide the posts 98, 100, 102,104 in a fore and aft direction. This described guide arrangementassures that the movement of the entire plate assembly is consistentlylinear in a fore and aft line. The trigger legs 82, 84 act on therearwardly facing surface 122 of the plate 88 at diametrically-oppositelocations thereon to distribute the bail operating force from thetrigger substantially uniformly across the plate 88 and avoid canting ofthe plate assembly.

The actuation plate 88 is normally biased in a rearward direction. Thisis accomplished by providing springs 124 (one shown) around each of theposts 98, 100, 102, 104 so that the springs 124 act between therearwardly facing surface 116 of the wall 96 and the actuation plate 88.

As the actuation plate 88 is translated forwardly from a retractedposition into an extended position by the trigger 74, the actuationplate 88 acts against and simultaneously pivots the force transmissionarms 128, 130 to cause the force transmission arms 128, 130 to drivetheir associated bail arms 56, 58 into their cast position.

The force transmission arm 128 consists of first and second joinableparts 132, 134. The transmission arm part 132 is situated externally ofthe reel whereas the transmission arm part 134 is located primarilywithin the rotor space 90. The arm part 134 has a cylindrical shaft 136that projects fully through a bore 138 in the rotor wall 92 to beexposed externally of the rotor body 94. The exposed portion 140 of thearm part 134 has flats 142, 144 to make keyed connection with acorrespondingly configured bore in the arm part 132. A screw 146maintains the coupled arrangement of the arm parts 132, 134 through therotor wall 92.

The arm part 134 has an elongate, curved extension 148 projectingtransversely to the length of the shaft 136. The free end 150 of theextension 148 has a curved cam edge 152 which abuts to the forwardlyfacing surface 154 on the actuation plate 88. As the actuation platemoves from its retracted position into its extended position, theactuation plate 88 effects rotation of the extension 148, and the armpart 132 keyed thereto, in the direction of arrow 156 about the axis 158of the shaft 136.

As the extension 148 is pivoted by the actuation plate 88, a shoulder160 on the arm part 132 is brought to bear against a kidney-shapedpin/projection 162 on the bail arm 56, which is offset radiallyoutwardly and forwardly from the pivot axis 60 for the bail arm 56.Pivoting of the arm part 132 exerts a force on the bail assembly 42 topivot the same in the direction of arrow 72 towards a cast position.

A coil spring 166 acts between the wall 96 and free end 150 of theextension 148 to normally bias the force transmission arm 128 oppositelyto the direction of arrow 156. Bosses 168, 170 are provided on the wall96 and extension 148 respectively to penetrate and maintain the coilspring 166 in position.

The force transmission arm 130 has a similar two-part constructionincluding an arm part 172 within the rotor space 90 and having a keyedprojection 174 to mate with an arm part 176 externally of the rotor. Ascrew 178 maintains the keyed connection of the arm parts 172, 176.

The arm part 172 has an extension 180 that is acted upon by theactuation plate 88 to effect rotation of the arm part 176 about the axis182 of the projection 174 on the arm part 172. A similar spring biasingstructure (not shown) biases the extension 180 normally into contactwith the actuation plate 88.

Forward movement of the actuation plate 80 pivots the arm 130 about theaxis 182 in the direction of arrow 184. A shoulder 186 on the arm 130engages a pin 188 on the bail arm 58. With the bail arm 58 in the solidline, retrieve position shown in FIG. 7, the pin 188 resides axiallyrearwardly of the bail assembly pivot axis 60. Pivoting of the arm 130in the direction of arrow 184 effects a counterpivoting of the bail arm58 in the direction of arrow 190.

The arms 130, 132 pivot oppositely to each other about their respectiveaxes 182, 158. The axes 158, 182 are parallel to but slightly offsetfrom each other.

A further aspect of the invention is to configure the pins 162, 188 andshoulders 160, 186 so that there is a slight lag in operation of the pin162 and shoulder 160 upon the trigger 74 being actuated. The pin 188 andshoulder 186 are relatively situated with the reel in a retrieve mode sothat upon the actuating plate 88 moving forwardly, the shoulder 186 isabutted to the pin 188 and optimally oriented to develop a large torqueon the bail arm 58. This large force that is produced as the bailassembly 42 is moved from a stationary position is often compromised inconventional structures to add to the pivot range. Once the bail arm 58pivots in the direction of the arrow 190 a predetermined amount, theshoulder 160 confronts the pin 162. The pin 162 and shoulder 160 areconfigured to allow the arm 128 to positively drive the bail arm 56fully into the retrieve position of FIG. 2. In the absence of thisarrangement, the shoulders 160, 186 and pins 162, 188 would have to beconfigured to all simultaneously coact, in which event the pivotingrange for the bail assembly 42 would be limited to the range permittedby each pin and shoulder. Normally this range is on the order of 120°and difficult to achieve effectively with the conventional construction,given the normal space constraints and manufacturing tolerances. Asnoted above, this conventional construction compromises the initialforce that moves the bail assembly 42 from the stationary retrieveposition. With the staggered arrangement, the pivot range can beextended without sacrificing the necessary starting force.

This feature is particularly desirable with reels incorporating a lineholding pin 192. The pin 192 projects in cantilever fashion from anL-shaped support arm 194 pivotably mounted to the free end 196 of thearm 128 for rotation about an axis 198 defined by a mounting pin 200. Asthe arm 128 drives the bail arm 56 into the cast position, the pin freeend 202 abuts the edge 204 of the bail wire 62 to thereby block the linein the receptacle 64. Reserve travel for the bail assembly is built intothe pin 162 and shoulder 160 arrangement to allow positive clamping ofthe pin free end 202 to the bail wire edge 204 so that the forces duringcasting do not overcome the clamping force of the line holding pin 192that might cause premature line release.

With the inventive structure, pulling up on the trigger 74 moves thebail assembly 42 from the retrieve position into the cast positiontherefor. At the same time, the pin 192 blocks the line in the linereceptacle 64, thereby obviating the need to snub the line 40 against arod as the rod and reel are cocked in preparation for a cast. Tocomplete the cast, the rod and reel 10 are thrust forwardly andsimultaneously the trigger 74 is released. Upon release of the trigger74, the arm 128 pivots under the force of the spring 166 to back the pin192 off of the bail wire 62 to allow the line 40 to pay freely off ofthe spool 34.

Another significant aspect of the present invention is that the bailassembly 42 is movable through the trigger 74 from the retrieve positioninto the cast position regardless of the rotational position of the bailassembly 42. Thus, no self-centering mechanism is necessary, as iscommon on prior art reels which have a rotor that is operable in only avery small range of positions. The user need not concern him or herselfwith the position of the bail assembly 42 with the inventive structure.

Another aspect of the present invention is a novel mechanism at 206 toprevent jamming of the bail assembly 42 as it moves from the retrieveposition to the cast position and for returning the bail assembly 42from the cast position to the retrieve position upon rotation of thecrank handle 24 at the completion of a cast.

A trip link 210 cooperates with the bail arm 58 and is movable therebyfrom the solid line retracted position in FIGS. 7 and 8 to the extendedphantom line positions, as the bail assembly moves from its retrieveposition into its cast position.

The trip link 210 has a substantially straight edge 212 which engagesand is guided along a straight guide surface 214 defined by the rotor20. Preferably, the edge 212 and surface 214 are straight so that thetrip link 210 moves linearly between the solid line position and thephantom line position. It is not necessary, however, that thepredetermined path followed by the trip link 210 be linear.

The bail arm 58 has an inwardly projecting pin 216 that engages anddrives one trip link end 218 as the bail assembly 42 rotates in thedirection of the arrow 220 in FIGS. 7 and 8. Upon the bail assembly 42being placed in the cast position, the opposite free end 222 of the triplink 210 projects to the phantom position A, shown in FIG. 8. Once thecast is completed, the user rotates the crank handle 24, which bears theextended trip link end 222 against a shoulder/ramp surface 224 on a triplink actuator 226 mounted on the trigger 74, as shown in FIG. 1.

The present invention comprehends a mechanism for allowing at least aportion of the trip link 210 to be deflected out of its predeterminedpath so that the trip link will not jam with the actuator 226. In theabsence of this mechanism, there is a "dead spot" where the bailassembly 42 cannot be automatically actuated. More specifically, if thetrip link free end 222 is aligned over the apex 228 of the actuator 226as the trigger 74 is actuated, the end 222 encounters the apex 228, asseen in phantom position B in FIG. 8, so that the movement of the triplink 210 is arrested which thereby blocks movement of the bail assembly42 fully into the cast position.

According to the invention, the trip link 210 is mounted to the rotor 20to be repositionable, and preferably pivotable, about its free end 218to the phantom line position C. A coil spring 232 normally biases thetrip link 210 forwardly and in a clockwise direction in FIG. 8 so thatthe guide edge 212 and guide surface 214 are held in abuttingrelationship. The trip link 210 has an enlargement 234 defining ashoulder 236. The spring 232 acts between a shoulder 238 on the rotor 20and the shoulder 236 in biasing the trip link 210 to the solid lineposition of FIG. 8.

According to the invention, the free end 222 of the trip link 210 has aconvex cam edge 240 which, upon encountering the apex 228 of the triplink actuator 226, deflects the free end 222 of the trip link 210 to theright in FIGS. 7 and 8 against the bias of spring 232 under the force ofthe pin 216 acting on the trip link end 218. The cam edge 240 is guideddown the ramp surface 224 sufficiently to allow the full extension ofthe trip link 210 to phantom position C as the bail assembly 42 movesinto the cast position. The angle and circumferential extent of the rampsurface are selected to complement the angle that the trip link 210 mustpivot through to allow the full requisite projection of the trip link210.

A second enlargement 242 can be provided on the trip link 210 to definea shoulder 244 to abut a shoulder 46 on the rotor 20 to limit pivotingof the trip link 210 in a counterclockwise direction in FIGS. 7 and 8.Also, a shoulder 248 bounding a cutout in the rotor 20 abuts the triplink edge 250 to similarly limit pivoting movement of the trip link 210.

By operating the crank handle 24, the cam edge 40 on the trip link 210encounters the ramp surface 224 to progressively urge the trip link 210forwardly to thereby bear the trip link end 218 against the pin 216 topivot the arm 58 sufficiently to allow the overcenter bias structure 63to resituate the bail assembly 42 in the retrieve position.

The force transmission arm 130 is assembled in overlying relationship tothe trip link 210. Consequently, the trip link 210 can be held captivelyin its operative position between the rotor 20 and the transmission arm130. The rotor 20 and/or transmission arm 130 guide movement of the triplink between its extended and retracted positions.

A preferred configuration for the actuation plate assembly is shown inFIGS. 14-18. In FIG. 14, a one-piece construction for a plate assemblyis shown at 252. The plate assembly consists of a single piece of sheetmetal 253 that is stamped to provide a center cutout 254 and integralposts 256, 258, 260, 262, spaced equidistantly around the circumferenceof the annular center plate 264. After the stamping operation, each post256, 258, 260, 262 is bent through approximately 90° to project at rightangles to the planar surface 266 of the plate 264.

FIG. 15 shows a preferred means of connection between the actuationplate 88, one of the guide posts 98 and the reinforcement plate 106. Therear end 268 of the post 98 has a tapered portion 270 with a diameterthat increases progressively from front to rear. The rear edge 272 ofthe post 98 has a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of a bore274 in the plate 88 for reception of the post end 268. By press fittingthe tapered portion 270 into the bore 274, the rear edge 272 deformsslightly and springs back with the post 98 fully seated in the platebore 274 to effect a secure hold. A screw 120 is secured in a threadedbore 276 in the forward end 278 of the post 98.

FIGS. 16-19 show alternative shapes for the posts 98, 100, 102, 104. Thepost 98' in FIG. 16 has a rectangular cross-sectional configuration. Thepost 98" in FIG. 17 has a triangular cross-sectional configuration. Thepost 98'" in FIG. 18 has a cylindrical center portion 280 and threearcuate lobes 282, 284, 286 spaced equidistantly around the centerportion 280. In FIG. 19 a post 98"" is shown and has a diamond-shapedcross-sectional configuration. The guide bores 108, 110, 112, 114 forthe posts 98, 98', 98", 98'", 98"" have a matched cross section. Howevera non-matched cross section is often preferred. For example, if atriangular cross section is used in a round bore, there is contact bythe post at only three points, however the guiding function is fullyrealized. Friction forces are thereby reduced.

The posts 98, 98', 98", 98'", 98"", 100, 102, 104 can be made by any ofa number of well known techniques, as by extrusion, molding, casting,etc. In place of the screws 120 and the tapered portion 270 that allowspress fit connection, the plate assembly parts can be welded, bolted,riveted, or otherwise suitably interconnected.

For aesthetic purposes, covers (not shown) can be placed over the bailarms 56, 58 and secured to the bail ears 44, 46. The foregoingdisclosure of specific embodiments is intended to be illustrative of thebroad concepts comprehended by the invention.

We claim:
 1. A fishing reel comprising:a frame having a front and rear; a rotor having a body with an annular wall bounding an internal space and a first wall within said internal space and having axially oppositely facing surfaces; means for mounting the rotor to the frame for rotation about a first axis; a line storage spool; means for rotating the rotor; a bail assembly; means for mounting the bail assembly to the rotor for pivoting movement between a first retrieve position and a second cast position, said bail assembly in the cast position therefor directing line onto the line storage spool as the rotor is rotated about its axis; a bail actuator; and means responsive to operation of the bail actuator for exerting a force on the bail assembly to pivot the bail assembly from its retrieve position into its cast position, said force exerting means including a plate assembly, said plate assembly comprising an annular actuation plate having an axis substantially aligned with the rotor axis and first and second posts connected to and projecting axially from the annular plate, said first wall having first and second bores to receive the first and second posts to guide translatory movement of the annular plate from a retracted position axially forwardly to an extended position, said force exerting means including means cooperating between the bail assembly and plate assembly for moving the bail assembly from its retrieve position into its cast position as the actuation plate moves from its retracted position into its extended position, there being means cooperating between the bail actuator and plate assembly for moving the actuator plate into its extended position as the bail actuator is operated, said plate assembly residing at least partially within the internal rotor space with the annular plate in its extended position.
 2. The fishing reel according to claim 1 wherein the plate assembly resides fully within the internal rotor space with the annular plate in its extended state.
 3. The fishing reel according to claim 1 wherein there is an annular reinforcement plate and the first and second posts fixedly interconnect the actuation and reinforcement plates in an assembled state in which said first wall is captive between said actuation and reinforcement plates.
 4. The fishing reel according to claim 3 wherein the actuation and reinforcement plates are substantially axially aligned with the plate assembly in its assembled state.
 5. The fishing reel according to claim 3 wherein there are at least four posts interconnecting the actuation and reinforcement plates.
 6. The fishing reel according to claim 1 wherein the first and second posts are elongate and substantially straight and at least one of the posts has a non-circular cross section taken perpendicular to its length.
 7. The fishing reel according to claim 6 wherein the bore in the first wall that receives the at least one of the posts has a cross section that is substantially matched to the cross section of the at least one of the posts.
 8. The fishing reel according to claim 6 wherein the cross section of the at least one of the posts is diamond-shaped.
 9. The fishing reel according to claim 6 wherein the cross section of the at least one of the posts is multi-lobed.
 10. The fishing reel according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the posts is hollow.
 11. The fishing reel according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the posts is solid.
 12. The fishing reel according to claim 1 wherein the actuation plate and posts are made from a single stamped piece of flat metal with the posts being bent relative to the actuation plate after stamping of the single stamped metal piece.
 13. The fishing reel according to claim 1 wherein the posts are formed by at least one of molding, casting, and extruding.
 14. The fishing reel according to claim 1 wherein the posts and actuation plate are separate pieces and the actuation plate and posts are interconnected by at least one of bolts, rivets, welds and press fitting.
 15. In a fishing reel having a frame with a front and rear, a rotor mounted to the frame for rotation about an axis and having first and second bores, a bail assembly mounted to the rotor for pivoting movement between a retrieve position and a cast position, and an actuator mounted to the frame for movement between a rest position and an operating position, the improvement comprising:an annular actuation plate having an axis and a forwardly facing flat surface; and first and second posts projecting axially from the actuation plate for movement in the rotor bores to guide translatory movement of the actuation plate relative to the rotor, said posts and actuation plate being formed as a single piece, said forwardly facing flat surface on the actuator plate being abuttable to the bail assembly and operable by the actuator to cause the forwardly facing flat surface to move the bail assembly from the retrieve position into the cast position as the actuator is moved from its rest position into its operating position.
 16. The plate assembly according to claim 15 wherein said first and second posts project forwardly from the actuation plate.
 17. The plate assembly according to claim 16 wherein there are at least four posts on the actuation plate, with each of said four posts being spaced equidistantly from two other of said posts on the actuation plate.
 18. The plate assembly according to claim 15 wherein the posts and actuation plate are made from a single stamped piece of flat metal with the posts being bent relative to the actuation plate after stamping of the single stamped metal piece.
 19. In a fishing reel having a frame with a front and rear, a rotor mounted to the frame for rotation about an axis and having first and second bores, a bail assembly mounted to the rotor for pivoting movement between a retrieve position and a cast position and an actuator mounted to the frame for movement between a rest position and an operating position, the improvement comprising:an actuation plate having a planar surface; and first and second posts projecting from the actuation plate substantially perpendicularly from the planar surface for extending one each into the first and second bores for guiding translatory movement of the actuation plate in a fore and aft direction relative to the rotor, at least one of the first and second posts having a non-circular cross section taken at a right angle to the rotor axis, said planar surface on the actuation plate being abuttable to the bail assembly and operable by the actuator to cause the surface to move the bail assembly from the retrieve position into the cast position as the actuator is moved from its rest position into its operating position.
 20. The plate assembly according to claim 19 wherein there is a reinforcement plate and the first and second posts fixedly interconnect the actuation and reinforcement plates with the plate assembly in an assembled state, said posts having substantially the same length.
 21. The plate assembly according to claim 20 wherein there are at least four posts interconnecting the actuation and reinforcement plates.
 22. The plate assembly according to claim 19 wherein at least one of the posts is hollow.
 23. The plate assembly according to claim 19 wherein at least one of the posts is solid.
 24. The plate assembly according to claim 19 wherein the cross section of the at least one of the posts is diamond-shaped.
 25. The plate assembly according to claim 19 wherein the cross section of the at least one of the posts is multi-lobed.
 26. The plate assembly according to claim 19 wherein at least one of the posts is formed by at least one of molding, casting, and extruding.
 27. The plate assembly according to claim 19 wherein the posts and actuation plates are separate pieces and the posts and actuation plate are interconnected by at least one of bolts, rivets, welds, and press fitting.
 28. The plate assembly according to claim 19 wherein the bores in the frame are circular in cross section taken transversely to the rotor axis and at least one of the posts is elongate and has a cross section taken transversely to its length that is non-circular so that the one post does not contact the frame fully around the bore within which its extends. 